What happened
On 20 March 2007, a Boeing 747-443, registration G-VLIP, was completing a scheduled passenger flight from Barbados to London Gatwick Airport. During the approach to Runway 26L, the crew was utilizing a manual landing technique to manage a crosswind. As the aircraft entered the flare, the crew experienced significant turbulence.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft experienced a firm impact and began to oscillate in roll. The aircraft's right wing dropped, prompting the crew to apply corrective control inputs. During the landing roll, the aircraft's right wing continued to roll, eventually reaching a bank angle of 6.7 degrees to the right. The damage, involving the underside of both right engine nacelles, was not identified by the flight crew during the landing or the immediate taxi to the terminal.
The investigation
The investigation established that the damage was discovered during pre-flight checks by the subsequent crew. The inspection revealed that the drain mast on the No. 4 engine had been shortened due to ground contact, and the engine cowling showed signs of scoring. Further examination showed that the distortion of the nacelle structure had dented a main engine oil pipe, creating a potential dormant fault that could have led to future engine oil loss.
Investigators examined flight data recorder (FDR) parameters, which showed a touchdown at 1.43 g and a pitch attitude of 1 degree nose down. The analysis indicated that the ground contact was the result of a combination of factors, including the firm touchdown, variable crosswind conditions, and the specific control inputs made by the crew during the landing phase.
Findings
- The primary cause of the ground contact was a combination of a firm touchdown, fluctuating crosswind conditions, and the interaction between the aircraft and the ground.
- The crew's control inputs were occasionally out of phase with the aircraft's roll attitude during the landing roll.
- The damage went undetected by the arrival crew because there were no verbal or technical log entries regarding an abnormal landing.
- High workload and adverse weather conditions during the aircraft's turnaround at Gatwick likely contributed to the failure to detect the damaged drain mast during maintenance checks.